(Assignment F) Tom Joad Chapters 11-15

In the beginning, Tom Joad acts for himself. He does not care for anyone else but himself. He does not think of doing anything for anyone that does not benefit him. As the novel goes on, Joad begins to be more of a family oriented man. The hardships the Joad's face changes his thinking. He puts their needs before his and helps many people whenever he could. When Tom Joad meets Jim Casy on his way home after being let out of jail, Casy shares his guilt from his sinning when he was a preacher. Throughout the novel, Joad revisits his time with Casy to better connect himself to his surroundings. Joad was a positive impact on his life helping him find purpose in the world and fight for what he believes in. He sees how the workers are treated worse than animals which brings him to realizes the many injustices and takes up the fight when Casy dies fighting for the rights of the migrant workers. Even after Casy's death, Joad continues to spread the word of peace that Casy taught him. He looks out for not only his family, but the group of workers he is fighting for. He progresses from being self centered to a caring man. His beliefs about changing the world is now different because he is a better man from his experiences. He continues to spread the concept of everyone being a small piece of the huge world and everyone does their part to remain in peace. Later, he finds himself going with the flow. Just "one step after another." He says to not worry about the future anymore but to live life in the moment. There is no time to worry about what will happen but just concentrate on living in the present. In the end, Tom Joad realizes it's not just all about family, it is about uniting into one to do something greater. 

(Assignment C) Okie Poem Chapters 11-15

They're they ones who can

He who is a man

Can do what he can

Faced the inevitable 

Hard Dust Bowl Depression days

Banks and bosses taking property

Left to leave to the Promised Land

Taking nothing but the essentials

Living off empty stomachs

Taking the back road to California

Will there be room for us?

Will I survive?

My poem is about the Okies that are migrating to California for a better life. This explains the life they were faced with when they were kicked off their own land and had to sell everything for as much money as they could and leave. My first stanza shows how the man of the house is usually responsible for putting food on the table and a roof over his family's head but now that they have it bad, he has to sacrifice everything he has worked for to move and get a job. The theme of my poem is optimism because they remain hopeful even though they are faced with one of the worst situations you could ever be faced with. My poem explores the story behind their journey to California and what they were thinking. The Okies know there are many people moving as well and they were worred about the amount of jobs that are available when they get there.

Okies

(Assignment B) Highway 66 Chapters 16-19

During the Depression, around 300,000+ people migrated to California to escape the extreme dust bowls. Highway 66 is the main road migrants traveled on and the Joad's took this road to show the many problems they will face on 66. They are forced to get by this disastrous route in order to get to the promised land. This may foreshadow how hard the work is in California because it will be a challenging life with so many people competing with each other in order to get a job. 

America's Glory Road

Many refer to it as the 'Road to Opportunity.' It was paved through many towns running through, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and finally ending in California. It is a total distance of 2,400 miles starting in Chicago and ending in California. 

The Mother Road

For many decades, Route 66 was the main street of America. Steinbeck incorporated it into the Joad's journey as a symbol of opportunity but also showing that they have to get through a number of odd events in order to get there. The readings show how optimistic the Joad's were even though they came across many bitter events. 

Route 66 Map

(Assignment D) Significant Quote from Chapters 16-19*

Half a million people are moving across the country and not only are the people nervous, the land is nervous. The land is nervous for change when people begin to move in. Tractors and feet will be dug into the land left behind and is now being settled in to be one's property.

Moving to the West

"Fear the time when the strikes stop while the great owners live - for every little beaten strike is proof that the step is being taken...fear the time when Man-self will not suffer and die for a concept, for this one quality is the foundation of Man-self, and this one quality is man, distinctive in the universe."

 The significance of this quote is that it mentions the great owners referring to the owners of the land which are usually banks owned by government. All these owners do are take back land, kick people off their land, and raise taxes. They are the ones who create hunger- not only for food, but for work. Many that are moving need happiness for motivation and fear the need of security. They hope that where they move to, they will not be kick out of because of the little room. The mentioning of the quality of man is to say that men were hungry for work to support their family. They knew it was their job to put a roof over their heads and food on the table and they needed to move to do so. They may fear that there is too much competition for work because so many people are doing the same thing (moving for a better life) and may have better skills than them. But it is them against the universe and they will fight for their place even if they have to suffer. Men would refuse to listen to the owners when they told them to leave their land behind to show them that they will not just leave all their hard work behind. Eventually, they would have to leave their homes because they were not making any money and the wind storms just made it worse. It was more of keeping your dignity to leave when one wanted to rather than to be told to move and listening to them like they're the boss.

Vacant Land

(Assignment H) Repetition Chapters 1-10

Steinbeck uses repetition to describe Tom Joad in Chapter two. He does not introduce him but describe him first and foremost. "The man's clothes were new-all of them, cheap and new. His gray cap was so new that the visor was still stiff and the button still on, not shapeless and bulged as it would be when it had served for a while all the various purposes of a cap- carrying sack, towel handkerchief. His suit was of cheap gray hard-cloth and so new that there were creases in the trousers."

The description of his appearence can tell us a lot about him. The many times he repeats "new" and "cheap" show that he does not want to give us an unbiased opinion before we even meet the character (Tom). New may show that he is spending money on clothes to look good but in this case, he was just recently finished his time and was released. It also may show that compared to the way he dressed in jail, was old to the new clothes he case now. It may also suggest that he is a new person now that he is free and adapting to the new society. The words that describe him do not give us a positive or negative connotation.

Tom

(Assignment F) Pride & Family in Chapters 1-10*

Pride is seen as a common theme throughout Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath. Common men who migrate for a better life are very prideful and proud. No matter how bad the situation they're in is, they will hold onto that pride no matter what. Although many set themselves up for failure such as refusing to accept aid, they hold onto their pride until the end of their downfall. "--Twelve curved iron penes erected in the foundry, orgasms set by gears, raping without passion. The driver sat in his iron seat and he was proud of the straight lines he did not will, proud of the tractor he did not own or love.."(36)

This description of the modernization shows how differently old traditional farmers treated their land. They took the time to nurture it for it to grow. The new way of farming shows the mechanical side and how the land was not worth taking care of but to just do what they had to do to make a profit of the crops. This passage explicitly describes the false sense of pride the workers get from working on the land. All they do is work machines and have no sense of connection to the land. The land is being taken advantage of and only used to make a profit.

Tractor in the field

Family is another developing theme in the novel. The Joad's journey towards California is tough and they will stick together no matter what. "She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken." (74) 

This passage recognizes Ma Joad's place in the family; she is the backbone of the family. Although she has lost her home and land, she keeps her family close and continues to strive for success. The Joads stick together through thick and thin mainly because she keeps them together to make each other stronger as a family. She stays strong to keep them together and continue to look for a brighter future. Her place cannot be taken because she takes such an important role in their family and she is what makes them a family.

The Joads off to California

(Assignment D) Chapter 1-10*

Despite the harsh times in the 1930's, the vehicle crashed. At this time, many people were just striving to survive and save money. Cars were less popular due to The Great Depression. Workers lost their jobs and could no longer afford to pay for their car. Many people still needed cars to go a long ways distance but these times were rough.

 Cars in the 1930s

Later, the economy began to stabilize and people were able to save up more money and buy things they wanted instead of needed. This is when luxury cars began to become popular and the auto industry began to boom. This increased many jobs for immigrants and those just moving to the city. Those who could afford having a car were very fortunate because many dreamed of owning one. The vehicle industry continued to grow because owners spent their earnings on fixtures, fuel, and cars.

This relates to Chapter 7 because the Joads were being tricked into the car industry. They needed to get around and thought a car would really help them travel faster. There was an advantage to car dealers when families would be kicked off their land because they would buy a car out of convenience. These dealers tricked them into paying for overpriced used cars that were almost broken down. Salesmen often tricked them and took advantage of families in need.





Click to view cars of the 1930s being sold


Sources: The Finer Times, Cars of The Great Depression